‘Egg-streme’: Egg prices double

BUFFALO, NY (WKBW) – If you eat eggs, then you probably know that you are now paying historic prices. The cost of eggs has doubled since November prices and is up nearly 60 percent from a year ago.

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Frying eggs at the Roaring Rooster in Tonawanda.

And depending on where you shop or the brand you buy, you can pay anywhere from $5.00 to $6.00 or even $7.00 for a carton of eggs.

“I think it’s funny. I mean – they must be golden chickens or something – it’s too expensive,” stated Cheryl Fabbino, employee, Guercio & Sons.

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Cheryl Fabbino, employee, Guercio & Sons.

At Guercio’s on Grant Street on Buffalo’s west side, their jumbo eggs are $6.09, but the store says it expects prices to start dropping.

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Eggs in the supermarket.

“You know when you’re talking like $6, $7, $8 for a dozen eggs — that’s a lot,” Fabbino noted.

“Something that was a very profitable item for us that allowed us to keep our prices competitive — it’s like they’ve taken it away and that’s huge,” replied Caren Paterniti, owner, The Howling Rooster.

Rising egg prices are putting an end to breakfast at The Howling Rooster restaurant on Englewood Avenue in the city of Tonawanda.

Paterniti tells me that egg prices for him have now increased by 500 percent.

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Caren Paterniti, owner, Roaring Rooster.

“We started at $20 a box, now I think we hit an all-time high of $90. They’re sliding down a bit, but it’s definitely killing us because we don’t just serve eggs. we also use them in many recipes”, explained Paterniti.

“How many eggs do you spend here at the restaurant?” Buckley asked. “Oh my god – oh my god – maybe 12 times a week. We can get through five of them on Sunday alone,” Paterniti replied.

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Frying an egg in the Roaring Rooster.

One of the biggest reasons for high egg prices is bird flu, which affects about 57 million chickens.

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Chickens on a farm.

A statement I received from the American Egg Board noted that egg farmers typically cannot determine the price of eggs and along with bird flu, “several factors” including inflation, supply chain issues, feed cost, grains, labor, oil, and transportation are also affecting egg farms.

“Affordable food matters to everyone, and as one of the highest quality proteins available, eggs remain a great value. While egg farmers typically cannot set the price of eggs, they are doing everything they can to keep costs down and maintain a steady supply of the nutritious eggs that Americans rely on. Prices reflect several factors beyond a farmer’s control, including inflation and supply chain challenges related to the cost and availability of feed and grain, labor, diesel fuel and transportation.

Additionally, intermittent supply disruptions due to bird flu, which has affected egg farms in several states, as well as commercial broiler and turkey farms, have had temporary impacts on commodity prices. Egg farms maintain strict biosecurity to protect their chickens and ensure they meet customer demands, but sporadic supply disruptions affect prices.

The good news is that egg farms are recovering quickly. In fact, most of the egg farms that were affected by HPAI this year have recovered and returned to egg production. Nationwide, according to the USDA, we have roughly 6% fewer egg-laying hens now than we might normally have, so egg farms are recovering quickly, but we’re not back yet.

Egg farmers have worked closely with each other and their customers to ensure that everyone has the eggs they need. With more than 300 million shimmering chickens in this country—almost one bird for every American—isolated shortages are rapidly being corrected. While no one can predict the future, egg sales have remained strong even with temporary price increases. People love eggs and as one of the highest quality protein sources available, consumers know that eggs are still a good value.”

American Egg Board (AEB)

Right now, at The Howling Rooster, the owner and staff work to find the lowest egg prices through three different providers.

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Eggs inside the fridge at The Howling Rooster.

“The executive manager and the chef are very vigilant as they compare prices with all three and the best prices, because all three suppliers are very good,” Paterniti noted.